DE 198 60 357 B4 discloses a laser welding method for automatic transmission oil filters. Here, two plastic filter half-shells arranged between an upper tool and a lower tool are connected by laser welding to produce an automatic transmission oil filter. A filter medium is clamped between the two filter half-shells by means of a clamping rib. The filter half-shells, which lie on one another, are welded over their common edge by laser light. One of the filter half-shells consists of plastic which transmits laser light and the other filter half-shell consists of plastic which is opaque to laser light. The laser beam is guided through the filter half-shell which transmits laser light along the point of contact with the other filter half-shell. In the process, it strikes the filter half-shell which is opaque to laser light. As a result of the light absorption of the plastic material which is opaque to laser light, the two filter half-shells are fused to one another in the welding region. However, the edges to be welded are incompletely pressed against one another at the circumference, since the rigid design of the welding tools known to date means that contour deviations at the welding regions cannot be compensated for.